Magical Beast

Jiang Lu looked at this team and was secretly surprised. There wasn't a single cultivator below the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. Among them, her strength was at the very bottom.

“Our team is quite a bit stronger than the others. You guys aren't particularly strong, so don't charge forward. Just follow behind us.”

The irritation in the captain's eyes was all too obvious. Jiang Lu and the others nodded, feeling a touch of embarrassment.

Their strength was indeed lacking, so it was only natural for them to be looked down upon.

However, as long as the other party didn't show their disdain too overtly, it was enough for them.

Jiang Lu organized the items in her storage bag and immediately kept pace with the departing team.

The ten-li distance was to prevent the demon beast tide from breaking through the first line of defense and launching a surprise attack on them.

If the demon beasts reached the outskirts of the dense forest, it would no longer be something they could stop. They would have to report it and request reinforcement from other cities.

Thinking back to the demon beast that had a demon core, Jiang Lu pondered silently. Perhaps these demon beasts were merely a test, and the ones to follow would be even stronger.

Only demon beasts of Tier Three strength or above possessed a demon core, yet the one she had slain only had Tier One strength.

Either it had mutated, or its strength was being suppressed.

And the only thing capable of suppressing a demon beast's strength was an even more powerful existence deep within the forest.

While she was lost in thought, the group began to set up camp.

Gu Miao was in the same team as Jiang Lu. Seeing her heading toward a corner to sit in meditation and cultivate, he walked over.

“Junior Sister Lu.”

Hearing him, Jiang Lu offered a polite smile and acknowledged him, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

“Senior Brother Gu, is something the matter?”

Gu Miao's hand tightened slightly before loosening. His lips trembled for a moment, but in the end, he asked,

“Junior Sister Lu, do you feel that there is a major change in this demon beast tide?”

Although Jiang Lu's strength was low and she possessed a mixed spiritual root, her warning had genuinely saved everyone's lives.

He vaguely felt that Jiang Lu was extraordinary—or rather, her two beasts were extraordinary. That was why he had swallowed his pride to come and ask.

Jiang Lu looked at him with a calm expression.

“Senior Brother Gu, even the City Lord said there's an anomaly, so naturally, I think so too. But as for the extent of this anomaly, how could a mere fourth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator like me have the ability to know?”

“I just feel that since this is different from usual, we should remain vigilant at all times to avoid losing our lives. We absolutely must not be as lax as before.”

Jiang Lu's tone was earnest and sincere. Regardless of whether she knew the true reason, this was not something a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator like her should speak on.

Senior Brother Gu was either trying to probe her with ulterior motives or was simply driven to desperation. Whichever it was, it had nothing to do with her.

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Gu Miao did not press further. In fact, he regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth.

What Jiang Lu said was not wrong. Since even the first wave of the tide was anomalous, the subsequent ones would likely be even more dangerous.

He was simply clutching at straws in his desperation. If Jiang Lu truly possessed such great ability, why would she be cooped up in a place like this?

He nodded, walked to the side, and sat down. Watching Jiang Lu close her eyes to cultivate, he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

To still have the peace of mind to cultivate in this kind of environment, Junior Sister Lu's state of mind was truly extraordinary.

Chi Li and Cang Chen looked around before quietly crawling out of Jiang Lu's pouch.

Chi Li wore a storage bag on its back, which Jiang Lu had bought for them.

That day, while she was choosing a sword, these two fellows had stared longingly at the storage bags. Since she wasn't short on money anyway, she had bought them the cheapest one.

If nothing else, it was perfect for holding some elixirs and snacks. She had even made clothes for the two of them. Since they had formed a contract, she might as well treat them like pets.

Even though these two pets were rather extraordinary.

Chi Li and Cang Chen exchanged a glance and headed into the dense forest. They had sensed an unusual aura. If that aura was real, they could restore their strength by at least another layer.

Jiang Lu sensed their departure but did not stop them. They knew what they were doing. If they got caught and turned into soup, she wouldn't be able to save them anyway.

The two sneaky little figures gradually slipped past the first team and headed deep into the dense forest, completely unnoticed by the guarding cultivators.

“Stinky bird, do you sense which direction it is?”

Cang Chen asked in a low voice. It had to admit that when it came to the talent for sensing opportunities, it was inferior to the stinky bird.

“Shut up.”

Chi Li smacked it with a wing, cursing under its breath.

Cang Chen nodded aggrievedly.

It was only asking; why did the bird have to hit it?

Then, Chi Li opened its eyes, pointed in another direction, and said,

“Over there.”

Although the two of them were not very strong at the moment, their innate talent and bloodlines were superior, so their speed was naturally not slow.

Soon, they arrived at the border of the forest.

As soon as they approached, they saw a pack of demon beasts collapsed on the ground, all of them prostrating themselves in a single direction.

Their bodies were trembling slightly.

They exchanged a glance. So many demon beasts on the outskirts? It seemed impossible. There was definitely something wrong here.

Their master was indeed correct. The demon beast riot was no accident; it was undoubtedly due to coercion from deep within the forest.

The two of them carefully concealed their auras and made their way toward the spot where the beasts were prostrating.

Soon, they saw a spiritual orb emitting a red aura situated right at the very front of the beasts!

The spiritual orb was tainted with demonic energy, carrying an alluring, corruptive power.

They turned to look at the demon beasts sprawled on the ground, whose crimson eyes were filled with nothing but desire.

A desire for strength!

They exchanged a glance. It was just as they thought.

These demon beasts had been enticed and coerced by the demonic energy on the spiritual orb, which was why they had started to riot.

Although spiritual orbs were not particularly rare, they were still hard to come by in the lower realm. How could such a treasure appear here?

It was a priceless treasure to demon beasts. If they could refine it, their strength would increase by several levels at the very least.

Unless...

A high-level demon beast had deliberately placed it here to lure these low-level demon beasts into serving them.

Then, the two of them wore excited expressions.

Hehehe~

Since they couldn't sense the aura of any high-level demon beasts nearby, there was only one possibility: the demonic energy on the spiritual orb belonged to that high-level demon beast.

That demon beast had already been demonized, tainted by demonic energy!

But... the taint was not very deep. They were confident they could purify the demonic energy.

“What should we do? We definitely want that spiritual orb! But if we take it, will we attract the attention of that magical beast?”

Cang Chen stared at the spiritual orb, its mouth watering.

Chi Li gave it an exasperated look. What a useless, stinky dragon.

It was fortunate that the two of them possessed powerful bloodlines, meaning this demonic energy could not affect their minds.

Otherwise, with how greedy this dragon was, it might have already been enticed.

“We'll do this... and then this...”

Cang Chen more and more excited as it listened, its tail wagging uncontrollably.

The two of them quietly crept closer to the spiritual orb. A white water sphere appeared above Cang Chen's head as it slowly inched toward the spiritual orb.

Finally, it stopped right next to the spiritual orb...